Forum Discussion
Azure VM windows 10 randomly go black
Today I was experiencing an unexpected issue with our Azure VMs running Windows 10. Earlier today, users across several VMs encountered a sudden problem: their screens went black, and the taskbar icons turned white. When they clicked on the icons, a message indicated that the program had moved. To restore normal functionality, we had to log off and back on for a large number of users.
This is the first time we’ve encountered such an issue, and we urgently need assistance in resolving it. Could you please guide us on where to look or provide any troubleshooting steps?
1 Reply
Considering this:
- Review Recent Windows Updates – Some system updates may introduce unexpected behavior. Check the update history (Settings > Windows Update > Update History) to identify any recently installed updates that may correlate with the issue.
- Verify Graphics Driver Status – A black screen may indicate GPU-related problems. Update your graphics driver via Device Manager or, if the issue began after a recent driver update, consider rolling back to a previous stable version.
- Test for Corrupt User Profiles – If logging off and back on temporarily resolves the issue, the problem may stem from a corrupted user profile. Create a new local profile and test whether the issue persists.
- Analyze Event Viewer Logs – Inspect Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) for critical errors or warnings around the time of the issue. Focus on Windows Logs > System and Application logs for relevant entries.
- Monitor Azure VM Resource Utilization – Ensure the virtual machine has sufficient resources (CPU, memory, and GPU allocation). High resource usage or throttling could contribute to display instability.
- Boot in Safe Mode or Low-Resolution Mode – Test whether the issue persists in Safe Mode (to rule out third-party software conflicts) or at a lower display resolution (to check for GPU/driver compatibility issues).
